Skincare recos

[Pat0830]

Looking for good, cost effective skincare products for dry skin, pores, black beads and blemishes. Thanks!! 

[kristenyhan]

Hi @Pat0830! I have dry skin as well, so I'll just paste in my skincare routine below. I'd say that it's pretty complete, but I don't have an SPF product in there right now since I've been at home so much. 

To get you started, my morning routine starts with a cleanser - I use Glossier's Milky Jelly Cleanser in the mornings, because I find that the pH level of it leaves my skin nice, soft, and not stripped of moisture. I tend to cleanse for about 30 seconds, even though a lot of people cleanse for a minute, since I really don't want my skin to get too dry!

After that, I move on to Neutrogena toner, which I love since it's alcohol free and doesn't strip my skin of too much moisture either. It's also really affordable - you really don't need to spend a lot of money on toner, since it's just balancing out your skin after cleansing.

Then, my skincare routine really varies depending on the day. If my face really needs that extra hit of moisture, I use the Glossier Super Bounce serum, since it has hyaluronic acid (which can absorb up to 1,000 times its weight in water). If my skin has a lot of redness, then I use Glossier's Super Glow serum, which is a Vitamin C serum that aims to reduce redness and brighten your complexion in general. If using both, I would use the Super Bounce serum first, and then the Super Glow serum. These serums are a little bit on the pricier side ($28 per 1 oz. bottle), but I do think that they're worth it, especially if you get them in the 3 pack that comes with the Super Bounce serum, the Super Glow serum, and the Super Pure serum (which I'll talk about later). You can get the set of 3 for $65 instead of buying each individually for $84, and during Glossier's one sale of the year during Black Friday, you can get them for under $50! While brands like The Ordinary do sell similar serums for a lot cheaper, I've found that serums from brands like The Ordinary tend to be a bit stickier and more abrasive (a lot of the time, this is because they've just put in the pure chemicals and haven't added anything to reduce tackiness or calm down the effects of the straight chemicals on the skin). 

If using a serum, I usually pat it into the skin and then roll out the excess all over my face using a Herbivore Jade De-Puffing Face Roller. I used to see these things all over Instagram and thought that they were just fads, but I received one as a gift and found that rolling the roller all over your face is super refreshing, since the stone is so cold, and I really think that it improves overall blood circulation and helps the products you use absorb deeper into the skin! 

I moisturize with CLINIQUE Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+. I've found that this is a light moisturizer that is great for use during the day, especially if you're going to wear makeup later, since it won't make your skin too shiny or greasy before applying makeup. I sometimes use my jade roller to help roll the moisturizer further into my skin if I find that the moisturizer seems to just be sitting on the surface of my skin.

If I want some extra dewiness, then I'll use Glossier's Futuredew, which is an oil-based serum that is both hydrating and also acts as a highlighter due to the light-reflecting minerals in the serum. This serum makes your skin feel so soft and nourished and also super dewy and glowy without being too shiny. 

Finally, if I decide not to wear makeup for the day, I finish off with Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist 2.53 oz/ 75 mL. It's super hydrating due to the hyaluronic acid in it, and also smells amazing (like a Watermelon Jolly Rancher). It adds the perfect dewy touch, if that's what you're going for!

I also have a skincare shower routine. I'm weird, since I have sports practice in the afternoon, so I shower right after practice in the evenings before dinner, and I like to have a skincare routine after sports practices since my skin has probably come into contact with some dirt, sweat, etc. In the shower, I cleanse with #Kiehl's Since 1851 Ultra Facial Cleanser. It does feel a lot stronger than the Glossier cleanser, and sometimes it does feel like it's stripping moisture from your face, but it's really important to do a deeper cleanse after working out because your skin has probably come into contact with a lot of stuff that you want to get out of your skin.

After hopping out of the shower, I use Neutrogena's toner again, which will balance out your skin after using a harsher cleanser like the Kiehl's one. My skin sometimes acts up, and when it does, little bumps usually appear along my chin/jawline. If my skin is acting up, I use Glossier's Super Pure serum, which is formulated with niacinamide and zinc, which are both purifying agents for the skin. I find that if I use this serum, usually the bumps will be gone within a couple of hours! It's important to note that Glossier's Super Pure serum and their Super Glow serum shouldn't be used together, since when used together, some of the chemicals may react badly to each other.

I finish off my post-shower skincare routine with a bit of #CLINIQUE Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly - it's a bit of a weird gel-texture that some people may find a bit off-putting, but I really like it because I don't want to moisturize my skin too much, and I find that this jelly feels really nice and cool on the skin while being hydrating, but isn't like a real moisturizer. I usually roll this out with my jade roller and finish off with a couple of spritzes of Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist 2.53 oz/ 75 mL.

At night, I use #Lancome Crème Radiance Gentle Cleansing Creamy-Foam Cleanser. It's similar to the Glossier cleanser in that they're both very gentle, except this one is a foaming cleanser instead of a jelly cleanser, and I find that it pairs well with the next step of my nighttime skincare routine, which is the Lancôme TONIQUE Confort Duo Set (it won't let me put in just the singular toner anymore, so I had to choose the set). This is the most gentle toner that I've ever tried, and it makes your skin so soft and smooth, which is nice right before bedtime. I roll this out on my face with the jade roller, and then use  CLINIQUE Moisture Surge™ Overnight Face Mask 3.4 oz/ 100 mL. This is basically a moisturizer, but when you wake up in the morning, your skin looks so nice and soft! Then, as always, I finish off with a couple spritzes of the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist 2.53 oz/ 75 mL.

I didn't include any SPF products in here because they vary so much from person to person - some people like thicker lotions products, and some people like BB cream products - it's really all up to you! 

And that's basically my skincare routine! In my opinion, it's pretty affordable, since I buy most of my products in value sizes. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any more questions!